The present invention relates to re-coding a Web based application, specifically IBM""s HELPNOW!, containing JavaScript 1.2 statements, so that the Web based application will be compatible with the browsers of the OS/2 operating system.
Through the Internet, a client computer can access applications from a server computer. However, a problem arises if an application, which the user of the client computer desires to access, cannot function with the client computer because it contains components that are incompatible with the client computer""s operating system. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE""s Web based application HELPNOW! uses JAVASCRTPT 1.2 statements that are interpreted by the end user""s client side browser. A client computer using HELPNOW! may have a WINDOWS operating system that employs different versions of NETSCAPE and INTERNET EXPLORER browsers because the browser versions of these WINDOWS environments are able to run JAVASCRIPT 1.2. However, JAVASCRIPT 1.2 is not supported on OS/2 operating system browsers. Therefore. OS/2 users are precluded from accessing HELPNOW! because their browsers cannot interpret JAVASCRIPT 1.2. WINDOWS users with older browsers such as NETSCAPE 3 and INTERNET EXPLQRER 3 are also precluded from accessing HELPNOW! because their browsers can only interpret JAVASCRIPT 1.1 and 1.0 respectively. HELPNOW is not compatible with browsers of an OS/2 platform; therefore, HELPNOW! cannot be extended to client computers with browsers of an OS/2 platform. Potential HELPNOW! end users include those without browsers that support JAVASCRIPT 1.2, such as users with an OS/2 operating system and thus such end users are excluded from use of the Web based application HELPNOW! due to incompatible components of JAVASCRIPT 1.2.
As used herein, the term Incompatible Component (IC) shall mean JAVASCRIPT 1.2. As used herein, the term incompatible operating system shall refer to OS/2. As used herein, the term OS/2 refers to IBM Operating System 2. Also, as used herein the term Web based application shall refer to HELPNOW! and any other web based application which is not compatible with web browsers of the OS/2 operating system due to ICs.
A further problem arises involving ICs where Web based applications that are initially compatible, become incompatible due to vendor changes to the Web browser. For example, HELPNOW! is compatible with only some versions of NETSCAPE 4 while other versions in level 4 NETSCAPE will not correctly interpret all of the JAVASCRIPT 1.2 statements.
Therefore, a need arises for a way to make a Web based application containing ICs compatible with an incompatible operating system.
The invention which meets the need identified above is a re-coded HELPNOW!. The Web based application, HELPNOW!, that is not compatible with browsers of the OS/2 operating system because it contains JAVASCRIPT 1.2 statements, is re-coded so that the Web pages of the Web based application will be compatible with the browsers of the OS/2 operating system.